1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a series of novel salt complexes that are made by neutralizing a fatty ammonium compound, which is cationic with an anionic compound, producing a salt-complex, and an inorganic salt. The compounds of the invention are water soluble, non-irritating to the eye and skin and are well suited to personal care applications.
2. Arts and Practices
Fatty quaternary compounds commonly called quats, are tetra-substituted ammonium compounds where each of the four groups on nitrogen are a group other than hydrogen. If any hydrogen groups are present, the compounds are not quaternary amines, but rather are primary or secondary amines.
The most commonly encountered substituents are alkyl and alkyl amido groups. There are several classes of quats. The most important are (a) alkyl tri methyl quats for example cetyltrimonium chloride, (b) alkylamidopropyl dimethyl quats like stearylamidoalkonium chloride and (c) di alkyl, di methyl quats for example dicetyldimonium chloride and (d) alkyl, benzyl, Di methyl quats like stearalkonium chloride.
There are several undesirable attributes of fatty cationic products.
1. Fatty Quaternary compounds are incompatible with anionic surfactants since an insoluble complex frequently is formed when the two types of materials are combined.
2. Many fatty Quaternary Compounds are eye irritants. The material is minim ally irritating to the eyes at concentrations of 2.5%, which limits the concentration, which is useful if low irritation is a requirement.
3. Fatty quats are generally hydrophobic and when applied to substrate can cause a loss of absorbance of the substrate. It is not an uncommon situation for a traveler to a hotel to encounter a very soft towel that totally fails to absorb water. This is because the fatty quaternary gives softness but being hydrophobic also prevents re-wet. This situation also can be observed on hair, the conditioner becomes gunky on the hair and has a tendency to build up.
We have learned that making complexes of cationic compounds (the so-called quaternary compounds) with carboxy fatty alcohol alkoxylates can unexpectantly mitigate many of these negative attributes. The preferred complex has to have a molecular weight of over 1000 molecular weight units to obtain the most effective irritation mitigation. The mitigation of irritation, the improved water solubility and the skin feel make the compounds of the present invention highly desirable in personal care applications. Combining these complexes with dimethicone copolyol polymers, produces products having low eye irritation, good skin feel and good emolliency. This makes the compounds ideally suited for ultra mild applications like baby shampoo and bubble bath applications.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a series of novel salt complexes that are made by neutralizing a fatty ammonium compound, which is cationic with an anionic compound, producing a salt-complex. The preferred complex has a molecular weight above 1000 molecular weight units. The compounds of the invention are water soluble, non-irritating to the eye and skin and are well suited to personal care applications, where low irritation is required.
An additional objective of the invention is to provide a process for conditioning hair and skin which comprises contacting the hair or skin with an effective conditioning concentration of the complex. The effective conditioning concentration is between 0.1 and 25% by weight of the formulation.
The invention relates to a series of novel salt complexes that are made by neutralizing a fatty ammonium compound, which is cationic with an anionic compound, producing a salt complex having a molecular weight above 1000 molecular weight units. The compounds of the invention are water soluble, non-irritating to the eye and skin and are well suited to personal care applications.
The compounds of the present invention conform to the following structure: 
wherein;
R1 is CH3xe2x80x94(CH2)nxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)axe2x80x94(CH2CH(CH3)O)bxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)cxe2x80x94;
n is an integers ranging from 7 to 21;
a and c are integers independently ranging from 0 to 20,
b is an integer ranging from 0 to 20;
R3 is selected from the group consisting of CH3(CH2)exe2x80x94 and
R5xe2x80x94C(O)N(H)xe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94
R5 is CH3(CH2)fxe2x80x94
e is an integer from 5 to 21;
f is an integer from 5 to 21,
R4 is selected from the group consisting of CH3(CH2)g 
g is an integer ranging from 0 to 21 and 
The invention is also directed to a process for conditioning hair and skin which comprises contacting the hair or skin with an effective conditioning concentration of a complex conforming to the following structure; 
wherein;
R1 is CH3xe2x80x94(CH2)nxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)axe2x80x94(CH2CH(CH3)O)bxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)cxe2x80x94;
n is an integers ranging from 7 to 21;
a and c are integers independently ranging from 0 to 20;
b is an integer ranging from 0 to 20,
R3 is selected from the group consisting of CH3(CH2)exe2x80x94 and
R5xe2x80x94C(O)N(H)xe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94
R5 is CH3(CH2)fxe2x80x94
e is an integer from 5 to 21;
f is an integer from 5 to 21;
R4 is selected from the group consisting of CH3(CH2)g 
g is an integer ranging from 0 to 21 and 
In a preferred embodiment R1 is;
CH3xe2x80x94(CH2)nxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)axe2x80x94(CH2CH(CH3)O)bxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)cxe2x80x94
In a preferred embodiment e is an integer ranging from 7 to 21.
In a preferred embodiment R3 is;
R5C(O)N(H)xe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94
f is an integer ranging from 5 to 21.
In a preferred embodiment R4 is methyl.
In a preferred embodiment R4 is 
In a preferered embodiment the molecular weight of the complex is greater than 1000 daltons.
In another preferred embodiment, the complex is blended with dimethicone copolyol to improve the skin feel.
Alcohol Alkoxy Carboxylate
The reaction sequence is illustrated by the reaction of an alcohol alkoxylate with sodium mono-chloroacetate:
R1OH+Clxe2x80x94CH2C(O)Oxe2x88x92Na+xe2x86x92R1Oxe2x80x94CH2C(O)Oxe2x88x92Na+
R1Oxe2x80x94CH2C(O)Oxe2x88x92Na++H+xe2x86x92R1Oxe2x80x94CH2C(O)OH
R1 Oxe2x80x94CH2C(O)OH is the raw material useful in the preparation of the complexes of the present invention. The water can be removed by distillation and the salt filtered off.
Raw Materials
Carboxylates suitable for the preparation of the compounds of the present invention are commercially available from a variety of sources including Siltech Corporation in Toronto Ontario Canada.
The cationic compounds of the present invention are commercially available from a variety of sources including Croda Inc. and Siltech Corporation. They conform to the following structure: 
wherein;
R3 is selected from the group consisting of
CH3(CH2)exe2x80x94
and
R3xe2x80x94C(O)N(H)xe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94
R5 is CH3(CH2)fxe2x80x94
e is an integer from 5 to 21;
f is an integer from 5 to 21;
R4 is selected from the group consisting of CH3(CH2)g 
g is an integer ranging from 0 to 21 and 
the group consisting of Clxe2x88x92, Brxe2x88x92, and CH3SO4xe2x88x92.
As used herein 